Renegade
by Zorgithon Phantom CXIV
Summary: Rachel Grayson doesn't exist, but Renegade does. With a line of bodies and kidnappings on their resume, they quickly rose to the top of the World's Most Wanted List within weeks of her first job. She takes the chance to make an appearance on television with a job to kill Wayne and ends up getting caught by The Young Justice team, giving her two choices: prison or join them.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author Note: I own nothing but the plot line and a few extras. Main character has many complicated parts of her backstory, so please stay with me._**

 _Tony Dartion, head of the Dartion family, mass murderer, rapist, pedophile, runs a gang, and I have been payed ten grand._ With their target in the center of the cross-hairs, the hidden sniper slowly squeezed the trigger, sent a bullet through a window, and into the forty year-olds' heart. The moment the bullet left the barrel the assassin knew it was going to hit its' mark and began packing the silenced gun into a purple backpack.

A twelve year-old girl with raven hair turned into an alley, scaled a ten-foot brick wall and flipped onto the fire escape of the neighboring building. The kid climbed into a broken, third-story window of an abandoned apartment and proceeded to hide her backpack in the old fridge. Sighing, she pulled off her boots and flopped onto the pile of blankets she called a bed, falling asleep instantly.

Early the next morning, she was woken by the sound of her computer receiving an e-mail. She untangled herself from her 'bed' and stumbled over to the device. One new message was waiting for her and she hesitantly opened it. It was a job offering 100 grand to kill Bruce Wayne by the end of his Christmas Charity Event, December 8th, tomorrow.

She responded with "Money first. Half before and half after the hit. I expect payment less than two days after the hit." The sender replied seconds later. "Deal. Payment method?" The girl thought about it for a moment before sending back. "Meet my agent behind the Thomas Wayne clock tower at six P. M. Bring the money, don't be late."

She read the reply and closed the laptop. Sighing, the girl stretched and shuffled over to her kitchen. After opening four empty cabinets, she realized that she would have to go shopping and groaned. _"Just another day in the life of Rachel Grayson; assassin, world-class acrobat, and sad orphan girl."_

The entire month of December in Gotham was snowy, busy and just plain annoying. Christmas shoppers were rushing to buy gifts, traffic was backed up by the snow and shop owners were on the lookout for thieves even more so than usual. The good thing about being an assassin, was that the people who hire you are loaded and you could buy a car with one payment.

Rachel kept her hands in her pockets as she walked down the sidewalk, avoiding eye-contact and staying away from alleys. She knew she looked suspicious and honestly didn't care; she was tired, hungry and running low on poison. The poison isn't for what you would think.

When Rachel was little, she had foolishly followed a man when he asked if she wanted a free kitten and ended up getting kidnapped for a month. During that month, she was force-fed a single vile of poison every day and eventually it stopped working. Her body had gotten used to it and she now needed it to continue living.

She wasn't looking where she was going and walked into the road, too lost in thought to notice the car that had just turned the corner. Squealing breaks, a loud thud, and the car suddenly jerking to a stop caused Bruce to drop the newspaper he had been reading. Looking at Alfred, he saw his panicked butler fumbling with his seatbelt and eventually exiting the car. "Sir, I am afraid I have hit someone with the car."

Nodding, Bruce followed the older man to the front of the car and saw a child, sprawled across the icy road, a few feet away. Bruce raced over to their limp form, knelt and gently rolled them onto their back. "Can you hear me? Hello?" A moan greeted him and he let out the breath he was holding.

In the headlights, bleary blue eyes squinted up into the billionaire's face and mumbled something unintelligible before passing out. Bruce made sure she was breathing, carefully lifted the unconscious child into his arms and walked back to the vehicle. "Alfred, call Leslie and tell her what happened, I will wait in the car."

Fifteen minutes later, Leslie exited the room with the girl in it and softly closed the door. "How is she?" Bruce asked quietly. "Got a minor concussion, a few scrapes and a bruised hip; but she'll be fine with some rest. You're late for work, I will find her parents and get her home safely." The raven haired man raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

The doctor nodded with a smile and the two men left. Turning back to the room she just left, Leslie went back inside and stopped next to the bed. What she hadn't told Bruce was that during her examination, she discovered scars and even a stitched gash. The scars varied in stages and some were obviously years old, but the gash from her left shoulder to her left hip was what had Leslie crying.

The stitches weren't professional, some had ripped during her meeting with the car and the wound was surprisingly not infected yet. Setting to work, the woman administered anesthesia and began removing the stitches. Once the thick string was gone, she inspected the wound, cleaned it, closed it back up with fresh stitches and wrapped the girl's entire chest, stomach and left shoulder in gauze.

Leslie had been unsure how much anesthesia to use on the young girl and now she was regretting using such a small dose. One moment the doctor had just secured the clip to hold the gauze in place and the next, she was on the floor with two tiny, but strong hands wrapped around her throat. Struggling did nothing to deter her assailant and she wasn't getting the required amount of oxygen; a whispered _'sorry'_ was the last thing she heard before passing out.

Rachel was no stranger to pain and it often grounded her to reality. So when she woke up on a hospital bed with a lady redoing her half-decent stitching, she was confused. Normally after getting hit by a car and passing out, she would wake up to burly men with guns and not, kind-faced doctors fixing her.

Not wanting to scare the lady who was holding a needle, Rachel decided to 'wake up' after the doctor finished and then disappear. She did just that, the gauze was secured and the woman was unconscious. Standing in a dark-ish room with no shirt on in winter was a weird, but not unheard of scenario in her line of business.

Rachel put her shirt, coat, boots, gloves and beanie back on, moved the lady to the bed she had just been on and covered her with a blanket(only to her chin, letting her breathe but keeping her warm). Right before she exited, Rachel remembered that her parents always told her to be polite and left a note (saying she was grateful for the help, yet sorry for attacking her) in the doctor's limp hand.

Looking at the time, Rachel realized it was barely eight o'clock and she hadn't done her shopping yet. Upon exiting the lobby of the small, free clinic, Rachel noticed a distinct lack of decoration. Smiling to herself, she mentally made a shopping list on the way to the supermarket and counted the money in her pocket.

Acting like a child doing shopping for her mother, twelve year old Rachel skipped and smiled as she pushed her cart down the isles. Her cart was full of: food, ornaments, wrapping paper, tape, Christmas lights, tinsel, candy canes, ribbon, some Christmas stockings, a few bags of candy and small trinkets, a handful of extension cords, a tree skirt, and finally, a 5 foot tall Christmas tree. Since the basket was so full, Rachel had to drag the boxed tree behind her while pushing the cart.

Realizing she didn't have a way of getting all of the stuff to its' destination when she got to the register, she said she forgot something and ran off, coming back with the biggest, 'little red wagon' they had. Workers cooed and smiled when she waved at them, letting them believe she was an innocent child. It ended up being $375.89 and the clerks' eyes widened as Rachel handed her $450, saying the rest was for her and her family.

Several workers came over and helped Rachel get the tree and other purchases into her wagon. She smiled and thanked them before pulling the wagon out of the store and down the street. People moved out of her way as she hauled her load towards the clinic and she said 'Merry Christmas!' to everyone she passed, with a smile.

In the time she had been gone, a couple of people were waiting in the lobby to be treated or hear news on a loved one and a grin spread across Rachel's face. Pushing open the doors, the girl walked backwards into the lobby and brought the wagon to the center of the room. Ignoring the stares, Rachel began unpacking the tree and putting it together with a smile.

When she got to the top part of the tree and couldn't reach it, she walked over to an older man and asked him for help. "Hey mister, can you help me? I can't reach it." He nodded with a smile and put the top of the tree on. Next, she handed him a package of tinsel and asked him to wrap it around the tree.

Opening the boxes of ornaments, she went to each person and had them pick some to put on the tree. Soon, everyone was decorating the tree with ornaments and candy canes and laughing and smiling. While they were doing that, Rachel found a work schedule and wrote each name on a stocking, putting them up in a row on a wall.

The twelve year old put a handful of candy and trinkets into each stocking before passing the rest out to the people decorating the fake tree. The tinsel, lights and candy canes went around the room, the skirt went under the tree and soon the wagon was empty of everything but the: wrapping paper, food, tape, and ribbon. Rachel put all the remaining items in a bag, threw away the trash, moved the tree box to a supply room and gave the brand new wagon to a mother of two toddlers.

The woman tried to refuse but Rachel was insistent and the mother finally accepted, giving Rachel a hug before the twelve year old left the decorated clinic with her bag of goods. She got back to her run down apartment around twelve, ate lunch, changed clothes and hid her stuff in the cabinets. Grabbing her backpack and exiting her home, Rachel headed towards her dealer's place.

By the time she got to the place and bought a small supply of poison, it was two o'clock. Rachel went to a convenience store a bought a couple of bottled drinks and a candy bar. To kill some time, she went to the park, climbed a tree and mixed a small vile of poison into a bottle of tea. Drinking her special tea and eating her candy bar, Rachel enjoyed the snowy weather.


	2. Chapter 2 The Bat

**_Author Note: Thank you for staying interested, sorry this chapter is short, my birthday is in two days!_**

It was five in the evening when she made her way towards the clock tower and arrived twenty minutes later. Waiting in the shadows, Rachel exchanged her drinks and poison for the domino mask in her bag and put it on. She also grabbed a beanie from a side pocket and pulled it over her head, making sure none of her long, black hair was left out. Forty-five minutes later, a car pulled up and a man in his thirties came out. Three minutes passed before Rachel made herself visible.

"I presume you are the agent I was told to meet?" Rachel nodded. "And I presume you have the money for my boss?" The man smirked at her response and held out the duffle for her to take. Grabbing the bag, she turned to walk away, only to be stopped by the man talking. "Do we meet here for the second payment, or is it a different location?"

"Depends. Renegade will notify you if the location changes." The man nodded and turned to leave. Rachel smirked to herself as she free-climbed a brick wall and hid behind an air vent to transfer her money to her backpack (she folded the duffle and also placed it in the backpack). Just as she finished zipping her bag, she became aware of a presence on the rooftop.

Batman had been hunting Samuel Fredrickson, Rachel's employer for a few days, when he got wind of a transaction between him and a hit man's agent. He followed his perp to the clock tower and watched him stand there until the agent arrived. He hadn't noticed them hiding in the shadows and was surprised when they stepped out, beginning the conversation. A name he had heard very rarely came up and he instantly knew this was too dangerous to let happen.

Samuel left after handing the agent a duffle bag and Batman stared in fascination as the agent proceeded to sling the bag over their shoulder and scale the wall. He always had his grappling hook, so he didn't have to go through that much trouble to get to a roof, but this person acted like they did it every day. Batman grappled over to the rooftop the other person was on and watched as they emptied the duffle into another bag.

Without warning, a gunshot was heard and Batman stepped back in shock. Rachel had known he was there and had pulled her handgun from her backpack, aiming and firing at the Dark Knight's bicep in seconds. Batman ignored the slowly oozing wound to get closer to the shooter. The agent now stood before him with the bag secured to their back and a pistol in their right hand, aimed at his chest.

"Ah, the Bat. I was wondering when you would come after me." Rachel said after activating the voice changer, making her sound like a boy. Batman observed his opponent and noticed they were favoring the left side of their chest and had a flawless stance. "Who are you?" He growled out, trying to find an opening to attack.

One of the creepiest cackles he had ever heard preceded their next sentence. "Me? I am merely a pawn, an agent for my boss. But that is not the question you wanted to ask." Batman took a step closer and the shooter didn't even flinch. "Who is your boss?"

"Someone of little importance to you. But a certain playboy might want to watch out~…" the last part was drawn out and the masked person shifted slightly. Seeing that as an opening, Batman threw a batarang at their hand before lunging forward. Rachel shot the projectile mid-air and spun in a roundhouse kick as Batman neared.

Her boot connected with his forearm and his trajectory was thrown off slightly. Making his fist connect with her left side, instead of her face, right on her freshly bound wound. Rachel stumbled, moved the pistol to her left hand and pressed her right to the now-bleeding injury. As Batman got to his feet, he noticed the blood on his glove and looked up to stare at his very defensive enemy.

Blood spread across her shirt as she tried to stop the bleeding and keep the gun trained on Batman at the same time. She growled in agitation as the vigilante continued to stare at her and decided to get things going by shooting at him. A bullet grazed his thigh and another zoomed past him to sink into brick.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, dodging a bullet that would've hit his neck. "Ha! You think I want to do this? This is my life, I have nothing else to do! Nothing else matters and you can't change that!" The last sentence was paired with a bullet to his thigh, missing the important stuff but still making him get distracted. When he looked up, they had disappeared and all that was left, was the bullet casings and a few drops of blood.


	3. Chapter 3 The Party Crasher

_**Author Note: Thanks for reading! enjoy the long-ish chapter!**_

Rachel groaned as she dropped her bag on the ground and set the handgun on the table. Carefully peeling off the gauze, Rachel inspected the wound and growled before grabbing a bottle of water and a rag. The stupid Bat had ripped a stitch or two and caused it to start bleeding again. She cleaned, stitched and wrapped her wound, for the third time, and began planning.

The event would be held at the Wayne manor, from eight to eleven at night, and all of the important people would be there. Meaning lots of security and invitations only, so she wouldn't be able to get in without being undercover or sneaking in beforehand while they were setting up. Pulling up the blueprints for the mansion, she began studying the layout and finding an entry point. With her entrance and exit planned, she shut down her laptop and went to sleep after dinner.

Six o'clock saw Rachel showering and dressing in a crimson knee-length(pleated, checkered) skirt, grey leggings underneath, a black long sleeve dress shirt and black flats with red bows on the top, for the party. She was going as Russian violinist prodigy Natalia Vorschtikov, one of her many identities, to play at the gala. Rachel was only lying about her name, she was in fact a prodigy in violin and her father was Russian, while her mother was Romani.

She was known as Renegade, the best child hit-man in the world and was never seen unless she wanted to be, to everyone with high criminal records. Rachel had decided to make her debuts as an assassin with the death of billionaire Bruce Wayne and was going all-out with the preparations. Purchasing a sniper-rifle disguised as a working violin case, going to a salon to get her hair done, and wearing makeup and earrings.

During her planning the previous night, she called the Wayne household butler in a disguised voice and asked if her daughter could play at the gala the next day. After discussing times and events, the butler agreed and said he would be delighted to have her play. Roughly five years before, she had gone under the same name in Russia and made herself famous there.

It was 7:30 P.M. when Natalia arrived at the manor with a hired actress playing her aunt and was welcomed into the ballroom decorated with elegant Christmas bells, ribbon, and flowers. "Welcome Ms. Tashkibor, I am Bruce Wayne and this must be Natalia." The rich man greeted them as he kissed the top of her 'aunt's' hand while Rachel curtsied with a meek smile. The actress greeted back.

"Hello Mister Wayne, it is an honor for my niece to be playing for you this evening."

"Believe me, the honor is mine. Please, call me Bruce." The woman blushed and smiled before speaking again. "Yes, Natalia heard of your Charity Ball and begged me to ask you if she could play! She's always been so passionate about music." He nodded and the three continued towards the stairs and up to the balcony across the room from the stage Bruce would be standing on later.

"It is good to know someone as young as you is so eager to be preforming the violin in front of a crowd. Do you get nervous Natalia?" Rachel spoke, for the first time since they had met, in a heavy Russian accent. "Only sometimes, my excitement to preform usually outweighs my anxiety." He once again nodded and lead them to the small music room just beside the balcony.

"You can practice in here if want, the guests will be arriving soon. You may enjoy the party and perhaps you will make a new friend, just remember you will play at eight thirty after my welcome speech and at ten fifty before the guests leave." Rachel nodded and was handed her violin case by her 'aunt'.

The two grown ups left and she began to tune and make sure her violin would play perfectly. Her instrument was a polished black violin with white swirls decorating the body and a matching bow. On it she was going to play The Nutcracker, Csardas, and Jingle Bells; whether or not she got to Jingle Bells, she still liked the song.

Seeing she had thirty minutes, she went to the bathroom and made sure she looked presentable before going downstairs to get a cup of juice. News crews had set up a few cameras and she realized she would be on television, Rachel smirked mentally _. Perfect, a recording of my debut._ Just as she turned the go back upstairs, she was blinded by the flash of a camera and stumbled backwards, right into someone.

The light had come from a photographer who had spotted her and the person she backed into, happened to be a reporter. Within moments, it had give from peaceful to chaotic and she was about to panic, when a hand landed on her shoulder. On instinct she was going to throw them over her, but before she could, the person spoke.

"People! Calm down, you can get pictures in a minute after you ask permission. Let's give her some space and let the lady breathe." The flashes stopped and Rachel turned to look at her savior. A tall man with black hair, glasses and a suit smiled kindly at her, she gave a shy smile. "Thank you sir, I don't know what I would've done without you."

"You're welcome Miss Vorschtikov. May I ask you for a favor?" She tilted her head in curiosity and nodded. "Can I get a picture with you and a picture of just you for the Daily Planet?" Hesitantly nodding again, she watched as the man waved someone forward in the crowd and set up a camera.

"May I ask your name sir?" "Oh, yes. My name is Clark Kent, I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet." She shook his hand and they both stood nicely for the camera. After Clark got his picture with her, she stood alone for pictures taken by everyone else and even allowed guests to have a picture with her.

Bruce walked over, had his photo with her and told her it was time for the speech. She excused herself from the crowd and went upstairs to get ready. As Rachel was preparing herself, a question popped into her _head 'Is this really what I want_?'.

"Welcome ladies and gentleman to my annual charity event! It is so nice to see so many smiling faces tonight! All donations will be made to The Make a Wish Foundation, Toys for Tots, Operation Christmas Child, and the Gotham's Home for the Homeless. To help warm our hearts this evening, please help me welcome Ms. Natalia Vorschtikov! She will be playing a few songs for us to start the party."

The crowd clapped as 'Natalie' entered the balcony with her violin and curtsied to the guests. "Merry Christmas!" She said politely before getting into position to play. Once it was silent, she slid the bow along the strings and began The Nutcracker.

Music reigned down on the ears of the guests and made them still. Bruce stood in the crowd, enjoying a glass of champaign until suddenly the tempo sped up remarkable. It went faster and slower, like a dance and captivated everyone in the room.

Rachel was in her own little world, where there was nothing but her and her family. Without noticing, she finished The Nutcracker, Csardas, Jingle Bells, and began the song she wrote after her parents died. While playing the black instrument, she began crying as she sang.

 _"We painted our hearts, red and black, red and black..._

 _Red for the color of blood, red for the ones we've lost, red for our families…._

 _Black for our souls, black for the pain, black for the darkness that whispers our names._

 _We weep, we cry, we sing, we laugh, we shout our pain, we fall to parts!_

 _Can't stop us, can't stop us… can't stop us, can't stop US!_

 _We're true to you, we're true to them, we're true through the end, yet you condemn._

 _Condemn the free, condemn them all, for being late, for leaving, so call!_

…

…

 _So what they're dead, so what they're gone, so what you're alone…_

 _The pain will fade… their memories stayed…_

 _everyone has someone, so why don't I?_

 _The deed is done, now I cry…"_

 ** _Author Note: Song made by me, just words on 'paper', no official song. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for the next chapter: Death and Regrets?_**


	4. Chapter 4 No Longer Unknown

The music faded, everyone had tears in their eyes and Rachel was still in the position of playing. Her eyes were closed and she had tears running down her face, she was remembering her mother's voice and her father's smile. The crowd was in a trance, until a sudden thump brought them back to the present.

Rachel had fallen to her hands and knees, violin forgotten beside her as she cried. A woman began to sob and hugged her husband for comfort, several ladies had also begun to cry and remember someone that died. Standing on shaky legs, Rachel leaned on the balcony rail and spoke in her uneven accent.

"Thank you for letting me play. Please enjoy your evening. Merry Christmas!" She gave a watery smile, packed up her violin and walked away from the balcony. Someone began clapping and soon the whole crowd was clapping, whistling and shouting praise. Bruce was frozen to the spot, staring at the now empty balcony and realized he was crying as well.

Rachel dried her tears, put a strong smile up and walked down the stairs. As soon as she left the steps, she was tackled in a hug by a red-headed teenager and had to hold onto the banister for balance. "Thank you so much! I lost my mom two years ago this time of year." The stranger whispered between sobs.

Slowly, Rachel returned the hug and they comforted each other while the crowd watched. When the boy released her, Rachel wiped away the fresh tears making their way down her cheeks and curtsied. "Natalia Vorschtikov. I'm twelve."

They took her hand and lightly kissed the back of it. "Barry Gordon, thirteen. It is great to make your acquaintance Ms. Vorschtikov." Natalia giggled and blushed. Still holding her hand, Barry stood beside her and asked. "Shall we?" She nodded and the two headed into the crowd.

Time seemed to fly as the two of them laughed, talked and enjoyed themselves at the party. It was a surprise when Alfred, the Wayne butler, told her it was ten forty and that the ending speech was about to begin. She nodded, excused herself and raced upstairs to get ready.

This time, she set up the violin case with the narrow end pointing at Bruce as he walked on stage and held the remote in her left hand. She quietly began to play as the man spoke, creating a somber theme as Bruce gave them his farewells and thanked them for coming. Just as he was about to say 'Merry Christmas' one last time, Rachel pressed a button on the remote and the billionaire staggered backwards.

The gun was silenced so no one had heard it but her, but the crowd did see the man stumble and fall to the ground, blood spreading across his chest. Panic ensued and security searched for the shooter, completely bypassing the small girl with a violin case. The actress she had hired ran off and she was left walking home alone, not that she expected the woman to search for her like an aunt would.

Sirens wailed and cops swarmed the manor in search of evidence as Bruce Wayne was rushed to the hospital. Guests were interrogated, security footage was searched and one person was declared missing; twelve year old Natalia Kier Vorschtikov. Since she was 'Russian' the cops put her above finding the shooter, otherwise Russia might declare war for the 'kidnapping' of a citizen.

Meanwhile, Rachel sat at a rotting table in an abandoned apartment, watching the news for any information on the shooter.

 _"Gotham City Billionaire Bruce Wayne was shot during his Annual Christmas Charity party by an imposter posing as twelve year old Russian violinist prodigy, Natalia Vorschtikov. It is unclear how long she has been missing and detectives say her aunt was a hired actress._

" _In other news, a free clinic got an early Christmas present from, what witnesses say was, a small child. Security cameras captured a young girl buying almost $400 in Christmas decorations at a supermarket eight blocks from the clinic."_

A security video of a small girl pushing a cart and pulling a box began to play on the screen. Rachel just sat there in shock as she watched herself exit the store pulling a wagon, walk down the street and enter the clinic.

 _"The girl was then seen exiting the clinic half an hour later carrying a bag and disappeared from camera view. Pictures of her are spreading across the web and many are asking the same thing. 'Who is she?'."_

Rachel shut down her laptop and took a shower before going to bed, glad the apartment had running water. She dreamt of her parents death and the training she was put through just to satisfy some sadistic moron. The next day, the small girl could be seen sitting on the roof with her laptop, enjoying the sunrise and watching the news. It said the shooter had missed and that Wayne was going to live.

At roughly eight o'clock, the sun was shining and Rachel was cursing at herself as she once again planned the death of Bruce Wayne. He was recovering at Gotham Memorial and would have double security for if the assassin came back to finish the job. That meant she could enter through the window and hopefully slit the target's throat.

Little did she know, the Justice League decided to step in and was going to capture the assassin, if possible. They had actually moved Bruce to an undesignated room and kept guards posted outside both the decoy and real rooms, hoping to trap her in the false room. Rachel's face had been slapped on every bulletin board and displayed over all news channels, she could no longer just walk into a grocery store without causing a scene.


	5. Chapter 5 The Failed Flee

_**I am so sorry! There was an problem and i just know noticed. Hopefully it will be fixed now, if not, I apologize for the trouble it's caused you!**_

That night, the Young Justice team was surprised when they were called into Gotham to help capture an assassin, who went by the name Renegade and was a mercenary. They were geared up for a stealth mission and given a place to watch, not to move unless the assassin was spotted elsewhere. Kid Flash was excited to prove Red Arrow wrong and actually managed to wait thirty minutes before blowing his cover. The speedster had turned his back for ten seconds to argue with Artemis and when he turned back, he was punched in the face and spun around with his arm twisted behind him.

"Let him go!" Shouted Artemis as she trained her bow on the masked figure behind Kid Flash. The sudden appearance of a knife at the speedster's throat made him tense, eyes widening comically as it made a small cut on the yellow spandex. "I'm surry, I can't do zat. So how 'bout you drop ze bow and get on your knees?"

When Artemis made no move to stand down, the figure pulled Wally's arm until there was a loud 'pop', he yelped in pain and dropped to his knees. "Drop ze bow now!" Reluctantly, the blonde set her weapon on the ground and knelt with her hands in the air. "Goot, now stay vere you are and be silent."

Rachel grimaced as she slid her knife back into her belt, pulled out two darts and carefully poked one into the side of Wally's neck. The other was tossed into Artemis's thigh, injecting a powerful sedative into their bloodstreams; one that would take affect before Kid Flash could vibrate it out of his system. Within seconds, the speedster had slumped forward and was gently lowered to the ground, along with Artemis. After making sure their vitals were ok, Rachel popped Wally's shoulder back into place and placed them side by side on their backs, with their ankles and wrists bound.

She removed the archer's belt and quiver and set them a few feet away, making sure to check for any hidden weapons or gadgets on the girl, before slinking into the shadows. That pair were the only heroes Renegade ran into on the way to the hospital room window, unfortunately, once she got onto the window ledge and noticed the eerie quiet, Aqualad and Superboy were right below her. Jumping to a tree, she abandoned the second try on Wayne's life and dashed toward the docks in an desperate attempt to avoid getting captured.

"Green Arrow, we have lost contact with Artemis and Kid Flash and have spotted the assassin. We will pursue to capture." Aqualad reported as he and Superboy tailed the black-wearing figure to the docks and cornered them on the edge. At that very moment, a drunk Gothamite woman stumbled from an alley and tripped over her own foot, sending her sprawling off the pier and into the frigid waters below. Before either of the protégés could act, the small figure dove off the dock in the general direction of the lady and expertly swim towards where she went under.

The teens were frozen in shock until the assassin splashed to the surface and hauled the woman to the ladder, allowing Superboy the lift the lady onto the wooden dock. From the take down, run, swim and rescue, Rachel was dead-tired and found she could no longer tread water; sinking into the murky depths of the harbor. As she sunk, the air left her lungs and her vision blurred in exhaustion. On the brink of consciousness, Rachel wondered why she even tried atoning for all her sins; she was a thief and murderer, there was nothing she could do to be granted forgiveness.

Aqualad watched Superboy pull the citizen from the water and waited for the masked person to get out as well, becoming increasingly worried when two minutes passed and they didn't resurface. With no further hesitation, the Atlantean dove into the water and searched for the assassin, which was a challenge. Murky water at night, a person in all black and in the winter; piece of cake. At long last, Kaldur spotted a mass of darkness that was different from the rest and eagerly swam towards it.

Hooking an arm around the unmoving person's middle, Aqualad pushed off of the ground and broke the surface moments later. After climbing the ladder and laying the person across the wooden planks, he checked for the breathing and pulse of a normal human. Of course being under the water for over three minutes without holding their breath could stop anyone's heart. Kaldur began chest compressions, counting off in his mind before tilting their head back and pushed air into their lungs, expanding their chest.

After five repetitions, the person coughed and water rushed past their lips to join the pool underneath them. They rolled onto their side and threw up large amounts of liquid before shifting to face a tired Aqualad. The person mumbled something unintelligible before going limp, with their masked eyes closing and head lolling to the side. Superboy had jumped the drunken lady to the police station and when he got back, he slung the unconscious child over his shoulder and helped Kaldur to his feet; the three moving towards the League rendezvous point.

At the mountain, Aqualad Artemis and Kid Flash were checked over while the League tried to figure out what to do with the unconscious kid. The adults chained the assassin to a simple cot placed in an interrogation room; locking it with the League standing outside the door, having a conversation.

"What are we going to do with them? I mean we could send them to Belle Reve, but aren't they a bit small to be an assassin?" Green Arrow asked as he crossed his arms, doubting they had the right person. Batman, who had previously been quiet, scowled at the man in green.

"We have the right person. Height, facial and body structure match." Superman raised a calming hand. "They've woken up, maybe we should ask them before deciding their fate?" It was said, not asked and seven Leaguers filed into the room. As the Kryptonian said, the small person was sitting up and seemed to stare off into space.

"Name." The Bat growled lowly, angry about getting shot and that a child would be an assassin. Masked eyes turned to look at the new arrivals and Renegade ignored the demand, asking her own quiet question. "Where is it?" Her belt had been taken away upon getting to the mountain and that just so happened to hold three vials of purple, almost black, liquid; her poison.

"Where is what?" Oliver took a step closer, only to step back when a glare to rival Batman's was fixed on him. "My belt. I know you have it, so give it back." "The belt with poison? Yah, there is no way we would hand you a murder weapon so you can kill us!" Flash's mouth was faster than his brain and Renegade was not happy.

With a roar, Rachel launched herself at the man in front of her, using the cuffs to swing the cot over her head and into the hero. As it connected with the target, the cuff released itself from her wrist and the girl leapt onto a surprised Wonder Woman. Arrow was unconscious and suddenly a golden lasso was around the warrior maiden's throat, slowly choking her.

"Come any closer and I kill her. Give me my belt and I will be on my way." Rachel sat on the woman's shoulders with the lasso wrapped tightly around her hostage's neck. The twelve year old was on the brink of a panic attack, according to her internal clock, she had exactly four minutes until she went through withdraw form the poison. Any recent injuries would begin to bleed or hurt, respiratory problems, temporary loss of sight, paralysis, extreme hunger, hallucinations, and numbness.

Superman stepped forward and held his hands up to calm the girl down, but only caused her to pull the lasso tighter and Diana fell to her knees. "NOW! You have one minute." In a flash, Barry left and came back holding a black utility belt; cautiously holding it out to the child. Rachel released her captive and grabbed the offered object before he could snatch it away. She dug furiously through the pockets and began to hyperventilate when she found the vials to be missing.

"WHERE ARE THEY?! GIVE THEM TO ME!" Renegade screeched before launching herself at Batman, his movements sluggish from his barely healing chest wound and landed harshly. Pain lanced up his spine and spread across his chest, distracting him from the girl digging through his belt. As the stars dissipated, he saw his would-be assassin pull out the vial of highly concentrated poison, scramble away and desperately claw at the lid.

The raven haired child shook when her fingers grew numb and she felt a warm liquid drip from her nose and seep from her side injury. Batman sat up and suddenly realized what was happening; horrified and amazed at the same time. The small kid was going through severe withdraw, the worst anyone could suffer and he was just sitting there doing nothing. Rachel wheezed as her body slumped to the ground and her vision greyed, missing Batman's movements.

Racing forward, Bruce grabbed the small vile, tore off the cap and cradled the small girl as she began shouting for someone to leave her alone. He held her head still and pried her mouth open to pour the dark liquid down her throat. Renegade wheezed and went limp in the man's hold, breathing heavily before slipping unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6 Dreaming of Memories Long Gone

_**Author note: this chapter is the dream Rachel is having after she passes out in the interrogation room, anything that is mentioned, may or may not be delved into later on. Again, it will take a while for me to update, seeing as where I am living has no internet, but if I do update, yay!  
**_

 _Carnival music echoed around her as she stood in blank space. Without opening her eyes, Rachel knew where she was, what was going to happen next and how it would end. Still, the young girl pried her eyelids open and watched her memories and fears sneer in her face at what she'd become. As usual, her family fell, died and became vengeful zombies that crawled after her as she scrambled to get away, only to bump into a grinning figure. The figure was a man with an eyepatch over his right eye, long white hair tied in a low ponytail and he wore orange and black body armor._

 _She no longer screamed, she no longer felt fear, or regret, or dread, or longing; all she did now, is numbly watch her pain and sadness force itself before her eyes. Over and over again, never stopping until she jolted up from wherever she'd fallen asleep this time with tears streaming down her face and her heart racing. Rachel could no longer remember a time when she had a full night of rest, not plagued by a nightmare of some sorts._

 _A young girl orphaned by a corrupt man, wanting money more than letting someone live; but if it wasn't Zucco, then someone else would've come along and done the same thing. It was only a matter of time. Many times, she'd open her eyes and realize that no cared about one measly orphan that disappeared without a trace. Not one person cared if the small girl they accidentally pushed into the street almost died. Or if a girl they'd known for years, suddenly vanished, leaving no trail._

 _The grinning man bearing two colors and an eyepatch only ever brought pain, searing, burning agony. She could hear the screams and pleas of all the people she had killed, echoing throughout her mind and tearing it apart. Rachel sighed as the images looped once again, when asked about her parents, it was like she had amnesia, but when dreaming, she knew them down to their scents and favorite colors. The girl no longer understood human sentiment, yet she displayed it after attacking the kind doctor lady and before attempting to murder Wayne._

 _Suddenly, the scene changed. Now, instead of a cold void, it was a meadow of warmth and safety. She couldn't really explain it, but she just felt as though she would be able to live in that place without having to worry about death or sorrow anymore. But Rachel knew that it was not real and that when she woke, she would be somewhere with someone that didn't care. The scene once again changed, leaving her standing in a graveyard, staring at a single grand tombstone with two names written across it in beautiful script._

 _They were not the names she expected, although, they were names anyone in Gotham would know and remember forever. 'Thomas and Martha Wayne, beloved parents and cherished friends' Rachel sighed as, instead of her own memories playing, it was someone else's'. Going to a theater, falling down an old well, the fear that came with being an innocent child, self-blame, and sadness. Someone she knew from an accidental meeting before she tried to kill them later on; it was something she now regrets, but will never tell anyone about._

 _Rachel felt strange emotions as she saw the foreign memories pass by and just wanted them to disappear, leaving her to wallow in self misery and hate. The girl with ebony hair and a dark past saw Bruce Wayne looking her in the eye as she pulled the trigger, putting a bullet in his chest. She thought she felt someone gently brushing her hair away from her eyes and resting their hand on the side of her face; but Rachel knew no one cared about her, so she ruled it as part of her dream/nightmare._

 ** _Another note from the author: I will be posting a new story to see if you readers like an alternate version of this story. THEY ARE IN NO WAY CONNECTED, EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT! If something sounds the same, that means I liked that part of the plot and decided to incorporate it into both stories. Happy Reading!_**


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